Singapore– CASBAA released a groundbreaking study on Asian OTT regulation at its third annual OTT Summit.

The new publication, Same Same But Different? Video Policies for Asian Pay-TV and OTT details an “unsustainable” situation which sees governments maintain legacy regulatory policies that disadvantage their local operators, while television supply is moving online and undergoing a “comprehensive transformation.”

The publication is the result of the collaboration between highly regarded experts in Asian capitals, taking an in-depth look at the regulation of pay-TV and OTT video in countries and regions across Asia and Australasia, drawing comparisons with current legislation in the UK and the U.S.

The report provides specific descriptions of each government’s policies affecting OTT television on subjects as diverse as content censorship, advertising limits, copyright protection, and consumer protection.   It observes that many governments are levying burdens on “onshore” OTT operations while leaving “offshore” services virtually unregulated,   One result of this discrepancy is a big boost for  offshore operations providing pirated content. It’s of note that these offshore outfits are unburdened by any ethical, legal, or social constraints, and they continue to grow in importance.